Fun Facts

Fun Facts For The 2018 Pole To Pole Flight

1. Did you know that the “Citizen of the World” has an enormous tail that allows the plane to be flown with just minor trim adjustments on one engine in the event an engine is lost? The plane can also fly on autopilot in this configuration.

2. Did you know the secret to the Citizen of the World’s incredible range is the Honeywell TPE 331-10T engines paired to the MT 5 bladed custom scimitar, nickel tipped composite props and an oversized 600 gallon ferry tank that will be installed just prior to the 2018 Polar Circumnavigation?

3. Did you know that the “Citizen of the World” has a unique avionics panel that features the most reliable old school components as well as the latest avionics of the day? The panel includes a glass panel, WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System), Bluetooth, synthetic vision, iPad, satellite weather, coms and music. These components are laid out in a way so they can be easily replaceable in foreign countries. Since the system has individual components it is unlikely that the loss of one component can take down the entire system.

4. Did you know that the “Citizen of the World” was named after a blog post written by Robert DeLaurentis, Zen Pilot called “Citizen of the World: Life Lessons Learned.” In this blog, Robert shares what he learned while traveling to 23 countries, including that there are more similarities than differences between people and places on the planet. He realizes descriptions like hometown, religion, color, and ethnicity are not as important as the qualities like the desire for joy, happiness, health, freedom, adventure and peace. Read more at http://flyingthrulife.com/citizen-of-the-world-life-lessons-learned/

5. Did you know that the “Citizen of the World” will be flying over the South Pole on the the longest and warmest day of the year? We will experience 24 hours of daylight which occurs on January 1st. This is also the shortest day of the year at the North Pole. Once the South Pole is crossed the trip northward into total darkness will begin.

6. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” will fly approximately 26,000 nautical miles on a historic polar circumnavigation visiting more than 20 countries along the way?

7. Did you know that the Citizen of the World will carry three STEM scientific experiments for NASA designed by kids and teachers? After these experiments are flown from the South Pole to the North Pole they will taken into outer space by the Amazon Blue Origins Rocket and then by NASA in the year 2059! http://flyingthrulife.com/pole-to-pole/scientific-experiments-onboard/

8. The “Citizen of the World” will carry a “humanity chip” from the South Pole to the North Pole. On this trip kids can include their DNA, voices, messages and pictures. It’s a way for everyone to participate on this epic adventure.

9. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” will fly an an almost impossible 4400 nautical mile leg from Punta Arenas Chile directly to the South Pole and then return and land on the continent of Antarctica at King George Island? This distance is the equivalent of flying from Monterey to Hawaii and back nonstop. The solo flight will take Robert DeLaurentis, Zen Pilot more than 18 hours.

10. Did you know that the Citizen of the World will be carrying C-Elegans, a nematode (microscopic roundworm) that survived the 2003 space shuttle experiment? This organism is impervious to extreme heat, radiation, many toxic chemicals and the harsh conditions of outer space. Studying how these organisms survive as they travel from the South Pole to the North Pole in the Tropopause will give scientists critical information that will allow humans to travel deep into outer space someday soon.

11. Did you know that the “Citizen of the World” will carry a scientific experiment from the South Pole to the North Pole that will help NASA eventually send a miniature spaceship into space at 1/4 the speed of light propelled on the end of a laser beam!

12. Did you know that the team of five (soon seven) that currently supports “Citizen of the World” is composed of two PhDs? One specializes in astrophysics and other other in Spiritual Psychology…. A polar circumnavigation would take years to plan and execute with just one person working full time. It certainly takes the time and resources of many to pull off such an epic trip!

13. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” has been upgraded with RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minima) with an STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) from AeroMech to fly at 35,000 feet that allows the plane to fly faster, further, higher and often more safely due to improved glide distance? At this altitude she will be flying at temperatures nearing -60 degrees Celsius.

14. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” is the big sister to the famous piston Shrike Commander that Bob Hover flew at airshows across the United States for years? The Turbine Commander 900 is larger and has two Honeywell TPE 331-10T engines that each produce 750 horsepower which is more than double what Bob’s smaller piston engines could produce.

15. Did you know that in order to fly “Citizen of the World” over Antarctica, permits are required from the State Department, Chilean Military, the British Antarctic Survey and the EPA? Getting these permits takes more than six months and there must be a scientific purpose for the trip.

16. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” is a flying billboard for a message of global oneness and peace? By connecting the South Pole to the North Pole this plane will connect everyone around the world with the banner “Oneness and Humanity: One Planet, One People, One Plane.

17. Did you know the “Citizen of the World” will fly at 40% over her maximum gross weight loaded with more than 4000 extra pounds of Jet A Fuel to help the aircraft go the distance from the South Pole to the North Pole?

18. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” has an avionics panel loaded with the most advanced technology of the day to showcase the latest technology and help draw kids into aviation? This amazing aircraft will be one of the world’s best video game!

19. Did you know that “Citizen of the World” will rely on an old school directional gyro (pilot talk for gyroscope) to navigate across the poles where magnetic compasses do not work? GPS doesn’t work at the poles either where all the meridians of the earth converge! The directional gyro relies on a metal ball spinning at 15,000 rpms to maintain a heading.

20. Did you know that “Citizen of the World”, a Turbine Commander 900, was originally built by Rockwell, the maker of the B2 bomber? Rockwell had intentions to sell the aircraft to the military and overbuilt the plane by 1,000 pounds making it very rugged. The aircraft is currently being used by the Panamanian and Columbian Military for counter drug operations and operating from 1800 foot dirt strips in the jungle.

21. Did you know that Gulfstream bought the rights to build the Turbine Commander 900 (“Citizen of the World” is a Turbine Commander 900) from Rockwell and increased the wingspan by approximately 10 feet to 52 feet. Gulfstream also moved the rear fuel tank to the wing which made room for a bathroom. They dropped the floorboards by four inches, increased the pressurization and added the Honeywell TPE 331-10T engines for improved performance at altitude. It was such a capable platform at this point people were buying it and passing on the more expensive Gulfstream jets so Gulfstream dropped the Turbine Commander from production.

22. Did you know that the Honeywell TPE 331–10t turbine engines on the “Citizen of the World” are custom painted to match the light blue color of our Flying Thru Life logo?

23. Did you know the citizen of the world will be modified with six extra fuel tanks and carry 985 extra gallons of Jet A fuel for a total of 1402 gallons? That fuel load gives her a range of over 5,000 nautical miles or approximately 24 hours of flight time. http://flyingthrulife.com/pole-to-pole/the-route/

24. Did you know that the Flying Thru Life “Dream Team” includes Tim Kneeland a survival expert with over 35 years of experience teaching military, civilian and commercial pilots how to survive in desert, mountain, arctic and open ocean environments? http://flyingthrulife.com/pole-to-pole/the-team/

25. Did you know that the Flying Thru Life “Dream Team” includes a master CFI and commercial pilot with over 20,000 flight hours? Mike Jesch will assist with safety issues and making go no go decision for the legs over the south and north poles. See more at http://flyingthrulife.com/pole-to-pole/the-team/

26. Did you know that sponsor decals could only be placed aft of the turbine engines due to the fact that 3M could not guarantee they would not come off at -70 Celsius and get sucked into the turbine engines.

27. Did you know the Flying Thru Life “Dream Team has a movie producer who is making a documentary for the trip? His name is Dirk Braun and he has made another aviation related documentary called “Flying Boat.” Dirk has done work for companies like Ferrari. He is scheduled to fly along on three legs of the trip and is a pilot. See more at http://flyingthrulife.com/pole-to-pole/the-team/

28. Did you know the engines on the “Citizen of the World” are 1000 hp Honeywell turboprops derated to 750 hp on takeoff? At maximum altitude of 35,000 feet there are no restrictions and the engines are “giving us everything they’ve got!”

29. Did you know that the turbine engines for the “Citizen of the World” that were rebuilt by CTEC (Copperstate Turbine Engine Company) greatly exceeded what the 1000hp we expected them to produce. On the test bed one produced 1157 hp and the other 1140hp.

30. Did you know that with the remarkable horsepower the Honeywell TPE 331-10ts are making for the “Citizen of the World” and her customer 5 bladed nickel tipped scimitar composite MT props she may be the fastest Turbine Commander on the planet.

31. Did you know the Turbine Commander 1000 (similar to the Citizen of the World) flown solo with light fuel load has the same gross weight and horse power as a P-51 Mustang?

32. Did you know that a Twin Commander (The smaller Piston Version of the Citizen of the World) was the first Air Force One for president Eisenhower. President Eisenhower was so impressed when the engineers took one propeller off the plane, put it in the passenger compartment and then took off and flew their mission safely.

33. Did you know the Citizen of the World turned 35 this year? She is now classified as a Aircraft of Historic Significance!

34. Did you know The “Citizen of the World” will be equipped with two very precise GPS trackers on her journey from the South Pole to the North Pole. These are required by the FÉDÉRATION AÉRONAUTIQUE INTERNATIONALE to confirm the world records she will be setting with respect to speed, distance and time.

35. Did you know that a mechanic specializing engine tuning was flown in from out of state with the sole purpose of rigging and adjusting the engines for the “Citizen of the World?” To successfully complete her trip from the South Pole to the North Pole the Citizen must be working as efficiently as possible.